The present invention is directed, in general, to a walk-through security device and, more specifically, to a walk-through security device having a personal effects view port and methods of operating and manufacturing the device.
A commentary on the troubled condition of our times is the proliferation of walk-through security devices. Threats and acts of violence have caused such devices to become pervasive. They are widely used at airports, banks, schools, and government buildings to detect guns and other weapons that could be hidden on a person and carried into such locations.
A consequence of having to use walk-through security devices to detect unwanted articles, such as a firearms, knives and other weapons, is that the rate of entry into a facility using a walk-through security device is much slower than it would be if such a device was not necessary. If a person entering a facility goes through a security device while carrying metal objects on his or her person that has a sufficient mass to cause the device""s warning signal to go off, the person triggering the signal must attempt to identify and remove enough of the metallic mass he or she is carrying before going through the security device again. Depending on the sensitivity of the device it may take more than two trips for a person to go through without triggering a warning signal. In the meantime, others who want to enter the facility must wait until the person setting off the security device""s signal has been cleared through.
Airport walk-through security devices can be particularly troublesome to travelers in a hurry. Knowledgeable travelers anticipate problems going through such a device by removing metallic personal effects they believe will trigger the warning signal before entering the device. The general procedure is for the person going through the device to place his or her metallic personal effects in a small tub or basket and either pass it around the device to an attendant or place them on a counter next to the device. The personal effects are retrieved after being cleared through the device. Many travelers believe that their personal effects are particularly vulnerable to theft at this time because they can not keep such effects in view.
Some of the fear of having personal effects stolen while traversing walk-through security devices is grounded in xe2x80x9curban lore.xe2x80x9d The general belief is that thieves target people while they are going through such devices, particularly at airports. It is generally believed that people are vulnerable at this time because of the natural confusion caused by the hustle and bustle of a large number of people in a hurry.
One scam used to steal personal effects involves a team of thieves. One member of the team will precede a targeted victim through a walk-through security device while carrying enough metal to set off the device""s warning signal. In the meantime, the targeted victim will have placed his or her personal effects in the basket or tub provided or on the counter next to the security device. In the confusion caused by the first team member creating a commotion about getting cleared through the security device, a second team member picks up the victims personal effects and disappears. Variations of this scam involve a third team member to receive the purloined personal effects and remove them from the secured area as promptly as possible.
Although security experts are of the opinion that the risk of losing ones personal effects is actually higher in unmonitored public waiting areas where unwatched luggage and personal effects can disappear in an unguarded instant, the fear of losing personal effects while traversing an airport security portal is pervasive, among even the most experienced travelers. Perhaps the fear is associated with the irony of incurring a loss while undergoing a security procedure. Maybe this is one reason we all advise traveling friends and relatives to keep a watchful eye on their personal effects. Of course, the one place they cannot keep their metallic personal effects under surveillance is while going through walk-through security devices.
Therefore what is needed in the art is a mechanism or device that permits a person to visually monitor his or her personal effects while transiting walk-through security devices.
To address the above-discussed deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a walk-through security device having a personal effects view port and methods of operating and manufacturing the device. In one embodiment, the device includes: (1) a shell having an opaque sidewall with at least one material detector located therein and (2) a view port, located on the opaque sidewall, that allows a person passing through the shell to view a personal effect located on an opposite side of the sidewall.
The present invention recognizes that, while security devices enhance security in some respects, they compromise security in others. While they may prevent people from carrying weapons on airplanes, they subject people to the risk of losing their personal effects. The present invention addresses this problem by allowing a person to maintain eye contact with his or her personal effects while transiting the device and enjoys substantial utility in the prevention of property crimes.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a piece of transparent material is used as the view port selected from the group consisting of (1) glass and (2) plastic. Although the viewport could be merely an opening in the sidewall of the security device, such an opening may provide an opportunity for a particularly clever person to evade the detection mechanism in the device. The use of a transparent material in the view port prevents this possibility.
Although the invention is useful with any security device, a particularly useful embodiment of present invention provides for its use in a security device that is a metal detector. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the personal effect is elevated to a given height and the view port is located along a line of sight between the person and the personal effect. This embodiment gives some assurance to the person going through the security device that he or she will be able to monitor his or her personal effect. In still another embodiment, the personal effect is located on a conveyor belt proximate the device.
In one particularly useful embodiment, the view port is horizontally elongated to allow the person to view the personal effect as the person traverses the device. Another aspect of the present invention provides for the view port to extend along only a portion of a width of the sidewall.
The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, preferred and alternative features of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.